Principal Investigator

Dr. Hurrell is an Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Immunology in the Department of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis. He earned his PhD in 2016 in Immunology from the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, where he investigated immune responses to parasitic infections under the mentorship of Dr. Fabienne Tacchini-Cottier. From 2017 to 2021, Dr. Hurrell conducted postdoctoral research funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) in the laboratory of Dr. Omid Akbari at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, focusing on the roles of innate and adaptive immune cells in the development of lung pathology. In 2021, he was appointed Research Assistant Professor at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, where his work explored how dietary factors influence immune cell function and contribute to lung disease.

As Principal Investigator at UC Davis, Dr. Hurrell’s lab investigates the intersection of nutrition, metabolism, and immune regulation — with a particular emphasis on how specific nutrients and metabolic pathways shape immune cell development and function in health and disease, including asthma and allergy. His team employs both molecular and in vivo approaches to elucidate the impact of nutrients on cellular metabolism and immune cell fate, aiming to identify novel dietary strategies for modulating immune responses and improving lung health.